The book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone beats a RECORD at auction: it was sold 471.000 dollars

A first edition of JK Rowling's book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has been sold at a record price. The book reached 471,000 dollars at an auction on Thursday, the highest price ever paid for the debut of the young wizard in any form, said the American auction house Heritage Auctions, based in Texas.

 

It is not only the most expensive Harry Potter book ever sold, but also the most expensive commercially published 20th century work of fiction ever sold, said Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, in a statement. Only 500 hardback copies of the book were printed, most of which went to public libraries.

 

The few copies that surfaced at auction have become the most coveted titles in modern literature, with two more selling in 2021 for more than $138,000, Joe Maddalena said. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone came to life on the big screen two decades ago, and this result shows the power of this combination of literature and film. These books are rewarded for the results of their films.

 

Other rare books under the hammer include first editions of all seven titles in CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and a signed first edition of Harper Lee's Don't Shoot the Mockingbird.